The Thing He Finally Said Out Loud
Aurelion did not plan the moment carefully. That surprised him later. Though as proud and smug he was as a webnovel reader, he was also a GenZ kid, he couldn't hold back his excitement afterall.
Selene was seating near a window, reading through a stack of reports she had already read once before, and still looking as beautiful as always. Aurex stood nearby, speaking with an aide in a low voice.
Aurelion waited. Then he spoke. "Mother. Father." Both of them turned at the same time.
Selene smiled first.
"Yes?" she asked. "What is it?" Aurelion hesitated, just long enough to notice it.
"I have been training aura," he said. The words settled into the room.
Selene's smile faded slowly. Not sharply. Not with anger. Just with concern that rose too quickly to hide.
"Aurelion," she said, setting the papers aside, "why would you do that?"
Aurex did not speak yet. His expression did not change, but his attention sharpened.
Selene stood and walked closer.
"You are gifted in magic," she continued. "You know that. Aura is demanding. It takes time. It takes focus."
She crouched slightly to meet his eyes. "Trying to pursue both can dull what you already have." That was not a sad reaction. It was worry.
Aurelion nodded. "I know," he said.
Aurex finally spoke. Thinking his son is being distracted by the Imperial knights and has no aptitude for aura.
"In this world," he said calmly, "those who mix paths usually do it out of necessity." He folded his arms.
"Mercenaries. Low ranked adventurers. People who cannot reach the top of either path."
He looked down at his son. "You do not need that." Aurelion listened.He did not interrupt. Though Inside, his thoughts moved differently.
He thought about the books he read in his past life. The stories where this exact conversation always happened. The part where everyone warned the main character, and the rules bent anyway.
He almost smiled at the thought. "This is the part where plot armor usually activates and I tell them I'm too OP for this world.," he thought. "And I already tested it."
Out loud, he said something else. "I want you to watch," he said. Selene asked, "Watch what?"
"Just Watch Mother, also call teacher and Marshal Seraphine too." Aurex studied him for a long moment, then sighed.
"Call them," Aurex said finally. Selene looked at him. "The Grand Magician and the Imperial Commander," Aurex clarified. "If we are doing this, we do it properly. Also, since he asked me to call them."
The room was prepared quickly, though no one treated it like a ceremony. The same practice hall from before was cleared. The stone floor was swept. Curtains were pulled back to let light in.
Velorian arrived first, walking with the same careful seriousness as always, and the same bulky man as ever. The Imperial Commander followed shortly after, posture straight, eyes alert.
They bowed. "You summoned us, Your Majesty," Velorian said. Aurex nodded. "My son has something to show you." Velorian looked at Aurelion.
Aurelion stepped forward. "I will show magic first," he said. No one objected. This was now a normal spectacle for them to witness a 3-star Mage of 5 years old.
He stood still and raised one hand. Magic came easily to him now. Not as instinct, but as familiarity. He drew mana into shape without strain. A simple spell. Clean. Stable.
A sphere of compressed air formed above his palm. Velorian watched closely. The Imperial Commander leaned forward slightly. The spell held without wavering, then Aurelion released it.
Selene nodded with relief. "That part has not changed," she said softly.
Aurelion lowered his hand. Then he took a breath. "This is aura," he said. He did not change his stance dramatically, he simply stood there concentrating.
The warmth rose. The aura wrapped around his body naturally, like it had learned the shape already.
The Imperial Commander took a step forward before stopping herself. Velorian's eyes narrowed.
Aurelion picked up a wooden practice sword. He swung it once. The air responded with weight. The sound of the blade cutting through space was deeper than it should have been.
Though he was still not as refined as his father but he was an unpolished gem. He stopped.
Selene did not speak.Aurex did not blink. Velorian stepped closer without asking permission.
"Again," he said.
Aurelion did not hesitate. This time, he released the aura first. Then, after a short pause, he shaped mana again. The two did not interfere, did not clash or resist.
They coexisted.
Velorian exhaled slowly. The Imperial Commander Seraphine looked at Aurelion's feet and then at his hands as if she was scanning for talent or any abnormalities. "This is not normal," she said.
Velorian did not answer right away. He walked in a slow circle around Aurelion, watching how the aura moved, how the mana settled.
"This body," he said at last, "does not reject either path." With an astonished look. "It welcomes them."
YES YES WORSHIP ME. He thought.
Aurex finally moved. He stepped closer to his son and placed a hand on his shoulder. "You hid this well," he said.
Aurelion looked up. "I wanted to understand it first," he replied. Aurex nodded once. Selene reached out and pulled Aurelion into her arms. Her grip was tight.
"You scared me, my little moon" she said. "I know," Aurelion replied.
OH YEAH, FYI, SHE STILL HASN'T STOPPED CALLING ME THAT.
Seraphine straightened. "Your Majesty," She said, "this changes things." Aurex looked at him. "Yes," he agreed.
The Imperial Commander shifted her stance.
"We cannot treat him as before," she said. Aurex looked down at his son again.
"We will talk," he said. "All of us." He glanced at Velorian and the Commander. "And we will decide carefully." Aurelion nodded. Inside, he felt calm and proud.
The secret was out. What came next would be harder. The door closed behind them. And the future quietly shifted direction.
[To be Continued]